Chapter 14
If there was anything weird in the world of books, it was feeling a rubbery mirror against one's weary arms. Richard shivered while he followed Peaseblossom through the transforming glass, feeling as though he was passing through an ice-cold sheet of slick rubber, but at the same time, there were bugs skittering up and down on him while the glass pulsed around him.
Finally, with one leap off the mantel, Richard jumped down and away from the mirror. He still felt the bug-like skittering on his skin even after pushing through, and found that he was rubbing his arms uncomfortably. But Alice and Peaseblossom were doing no such thing.
"Curious," Alice murmured, stealing one more glance at the mirror, and then to the surroundings about them. Richard followed the little girl's glance, and blinked twice in recognizing what was so curious.
The room was practically mirrored on the other side to which they had stepped. Everything looked precisely the same, except it was like how it appeared in the mirror- reversed.
Richard and Alice both were somewhat fascinated by where the mysterious looking glass had taken them. Peaseblossom, however, sulked just a little, still floating next to the mirror. "'Twas quite the saddening disappointment, my lord," she said, her voice having suddenly turned sour. "I had been so hoping upon a portal to the fairy kingdom."
Richard nodded in agreement, looking into the mirror as well. "But, you know, it's not like we can't go back. The mirror's still there, so all we have to do is say bye to Alice and just continue on our way."
Peaseblossom peered at her reflection in the glass, making more strange yet comic moves at herself in fascination. "Well, I suppose, if it shall be that simple." The little fairy was a tad hesitant at saying farewell to Alice, but she was finally able to leap off of the mantel and towards the girl. In her sudden haste, however, Peaseblossom's tiny feet somehow managed to shove a huge black book off the mantel, which tumbled to the floor with a loud bump!
Alice leapt a foot in the air when she heard the bump, leaping backwards into a huge armchair behind her. She yelped softly, her eyes widening, both at the shock of falling into the chair, and seeing the big book on the floor. Her surprise seemed great enough that she didn't even move, leaving Richard to bend down and pick up the book. His one hand strained to pick up the book, seeing as it was so massive. It was almost twice the size of a dictionary, the cover almost three times as thick as usual.
Richard peered thoughtfully at the dark cover, turning it over in his hands before he finally decided to open the cover.
"What's in there?" Alice asked, pointing curiously at the book.
Richard shrugged an answer, but he quickly turned the book over to Alice when he opened the first few pages, and then to one page entitled, "Jabberwocky". The text was written in mirrored form, so Richard had to hold it up to the mirror to read it. Alice followed him, standing on her tiptoes to see better.
"'Jabberwocky'?" Alice looked between Richard and the mysterious name, as if searching for an answer to her pondering on her new friend's face.
"I think I've heard about that before," Richard said. "It sounds a little like Lewis Carroll to me."
"Lewis Carroll?" Now Alice was really confused.
"Never mind," Richard said, not feeling in the least like explaining a kooky-headed author to a level-headed girl like Alice. He shook his head, and turned the page to the poem following the title, with Peaseblossom fluttering over his shoulder. Together, at different levels of voice, he and Alice read aloud the first verses,
"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
Richard's low voice continued until the end of the nonsensical poem, but Alice stopped right after the second verse.
"I don't understand this," she stated, putting her palm down on the words she'd already read. "It's frightening, and I'd really like it if you would stop reading." She looked at Richard with alarm in her eyes, and her mouth tensed into a panicked frown.
Richard had become so engrossed in the strange, stirring words of the poem that he didn't listen at first, until Peaseblossom blew some dust into his face. The pink cloud settled on Richard's nose before he finally stopped to brush it from his face, following the annoying dust with a short sneeze that fluttered the page. Alice briefly covered herself so as not to directly catch the sneeze, but she kindly offered Richard her handkerchief to relieve himself of another blow. He declined the offer by rubbing his nose gently, and giving Peaseblossom an annoyed scowl.
"Thank you," Alice said, at Richard's silence at the poem's end.
Richard nodded quickly to acknowledge Alice's thanks, but turned his attention back to the words on the page. He never remembered reading anything so abstract, and yet so intriguing. But at the same time, he was tensing. In all the marvelous and oddball things he'd come across in his journeys, he never forgot the power that any book held in this world. And he was getting the feeling that perhaps, opening the book wasn't such a good idea. Books were harmless, but their content held magnificent influence, especially when he- a Proverb- opened them.
"Oh, shoot!" Richard muttered.
Before Alice or Peaseblossom could react, something massive and black as a nighttime ocean screamed out of the pages. A mighty roar escaped into the air, accompanied by the un-enveloping of a great pair of smoky wings, large and scaly as a dragon's. A head as big as a shopping window popped from the page, rearing up on its long neck to let out another screechy roar. Two dangerously sharp claws the size of the head clenched at the edges of the book, and Alice leapt away from the mantel, and Richard yelled, dropping the book to the floor.
Richard cringed, instantly regretting having noticed the book, much more in reading it aloud. Alice backed into the corner, right alongside the fireplace with the mirror on top, shielding herself with her arms. Peaseblossom followed her, trying to comfort the frightened girl, but Alice's screaming didn't help to lower the tension. Richard swiped the book just as the creature appeared entirely out of the yellowing pages, and ran to his friends.
"The magnitude of thy power shows itself!" Peaseblossom squeaked. "Make haste, my lord!" She turned, and buried her tiny face into Alice's sleeve, and Alice held the little fairy close to her, tears threatening to come with her abundant fear.
Richard's heart was screaming at him to conjure something to combat the newly awakened Jabberwocky. The first thing he thought to do, however, was unsheathe his sword, which he lunged at the monster. The Jabberwocky advanced rapidly upon the group, its enormous tail and flapping wings knocking over furniture and breaking glass figurines while it moved to swallow Richard. Its wide, yellow eyes bore into Richard, seeming to reach into him and tug on his insides, forcing more fright and tension into him like deathly-tasting poison.
When the Jabberwocky lunged with its snapping jaws at him, Richard dove out the way, and quickly regained himself for an attack. But the monster was just as quick. It swung its head and bit down into the floor, missing Richard by a needle's width of an inch.
"Richard!" Alice called out. "Please, hurry!"
At hearing the cry, Richard swiftly prepared himself, brandishing the sword heftily in his hand. And when the Jabberwocky moved its toothy mouth his way, he swung the blade at the beast's face as hard as he could.
It was as though there was a great armor built up around the monster's scaly body, because there was naught but a foot-wide scratch on it. It surprised Richard. A swing like that should have cut the Jabberwocky completely open. But to no avail at all!
In just a bit of a second, a lightning-like memory flashed into Richard's mind, by looking impulsively into the bright yellow eyes of the Jabberwocky. In that second, he knew how he could possibly allow escape for his friends back through the mirror. His heart swelled in his inner triumph, and so, he firmly held his sword handle again and opened his mouth to speak.
"The Jabberwocky poem book of 'Through the Looking Glass'! The vorpal sword!"
While Richard shouted the words, he swung his other arm like a party animal in a bowling alley, and the black book skid across the floor, stopping at Alice's feet. She yelped when she saw it, but she didn't pick it up again.
The Jabberwocky turned around to follow the sliding book, completely turning its head away from Richard, to Alice and Peaseblossom. Richard used this opportunity to observe the change in his own sword. Within the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a silver-handled weapon, with a point so sharp, it looked strong enough to cut through stone! While taking no more time to observe the majesty of the sword, Richard reared up his arm, and just as the Jabberwocky turned back around to finish its prey, the tip of his blade seared across the beast's wide forehead, drawing a thick line of thick fluid from the scales.
While the Jabberwocky nearly ceased all movement to recover, Richard dashed under the monster's huge belly and joined his friends on the other side. Without a moment's hesitation, he took Alice's tiny hand in his and pulled her along towards the mirror, now located close to the side of the writhing Jabberwocky. Sheathing his sword, Richard pointed up to the mirror.
"Go, hurry, Alice!" he said. I'll meet you and Peaseblossom on the other side of the mirror."
Alice nodded her head, and climbed on top of a chair she managed to drag towards the fireplace. Hoisting herself onto the mantel, she shoved through the mirror, and Richard, glancing quickly back at the Jabberwocky, followed her through, just before the recovering beast could snatch him back with its demonic talons.
Richard had pushed through the mirror so rapidly, that instead of stepping onto the mantel, he stepped into thin air and tumbled from the transformed glass and onto the floor. His cheek hit the carpet, and there came a blow to his stomach that almost made him sick, but he forcefully swallowed it back while he got his footing again.
"Will you be all right?" Alice asked sweetly, gently touching Richard's arms.
"Yeah, I will," he answered, grinning at her.
"Thank you very much," Alice said, "for helping us. That was really, truly brave."
"Well, no problem," Richard said, shrugging sheepishly. "All in a day's work, I guess." He glanced behind him at the mirror, where their reflections were clear as day. "Just one problem now. The Jabberwocky is still in there, on the other side. It's not like it can go back in the book by itself and we can forget about it."
"Which is why I happily imagine the idea that little Alice accompanies us to King Oberon," Peaseblossom said enthusiastically. "It is not safe to be here whilst that creature is lurking, even if it is on the other end of the looking glass."
"Can I?" Alice asked, half surprised and half excited.
Richard looked down at Alice's curious and hopeful expression. She was such a small girl, and could get into such big trouble if she didn't have someone to protect her from monsters like the Jabberwocky. He shook his head, remembering his stupidity in bringing the Jabberwocky out of the book. Perhaps if he hadn't done that, Alice would be perfectly all right staying here in her own story. But if the Jabberwocky ever managed to squeeze through the mirror, then Alice was in grave danger. Then again, what parts of the literary world were not in grave danger during these times, particularly now when a new villain had accidentally been brought out?
He answered by reaching out his hand to Alice. She drew her hands back in realizing Richard's intentions, but she quickly put her hand in Richard's, agreeing to join her new friends on their perilous journey to find a King Oberon.
"Shan't we go now?" Alice asked, looking up reassuringly at Richard, almost as though he was an endearing father taking her to the park.
Richard grinned momentarily at her.
"Rrrraaaahhhhrrrrr!"
All three friends jumped when the Jabberwocky's screechy roar cut through the air, and for a moment, its reflection seemed to materialize in the mirror, its wings flapping swiftly. And underneath the roar, two high-pitched squeals sounded from upstairs.
"Oh, Kitty! Snowdrop!" Alice said, looking desperately up and around the room. "The poor dears have run off. What are they to do with that thing on the other side of the looking glass?"
Richard felt sympathy for Alice, but he didn't feel it would be good for this journey if they had two rambunctious kittens coming along. He had a feeling that they could take care of themselves; after all, they were cats. Why else would so many people like to keep them as pets?
And besides, the Jabberwocky might catch up soon. They would have to get away while they could.
"They'll be okay," Richard said sympathetically, "but we have to get out of here!"
"Ay, come, make haste!" Peaseblossom urged, pulling on Alice's skirt.
"But, the little dears!" Alice protested.
"I'm sorry, but we have to go!" Richard gently tugged on Alice's hand. "They're cats- they can take care of themselves for a long time!"
The Jabberwocky's roar came through the house again, and the group scurried through the front door, running out into the winter air, keeping the swift pace until they were at least two blocks away from the house. Even then they could still hear snippets of the Jabberwocky's cry.
"I'm sorry, Alice," Richard said.
Alice didn't answer him. She already had her arms around herself, shivering slightly. Even when they were that far from Alice's wintry setting, the snow still fell. And frankly, it had gotten much colder since then, for some strange reason.
"It's so cold out here," Alice remarked, her teeth chattering loudly.
"This should do it," Richard said, pointing his finger at Alice, saying "'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The White Witch's fur cloak!"
In an instant, Alice was wrapped in an elaborate cloak of white and grey furs, decorated with silks and a clasp of silver cord. She immediately stopped shivering, and a relieved sigh escaped her throat.
"Thank you," Alice said, smiling sincerely at Richard.
Richard grinned again, wrapping his cape around him. "But, I don't see how we're going to get anywhere in this weather."
"Mayhap we ought to make shelter," Peaseblossom suggested, wrapping herself in the outer folds of Alice's cloak.
"I don't know what I can come up with," Richard said helplessly, as his ears picked up the sounds of flapping wings overhead, while a shadow fell over the snow.